There was a list of small projects to do around the house, both inside and out, that was getting longer and longer. I kept hoping that Josh would get around to helping me do them, but I knew that was near impossible since spring is his busiest time of year working 3 jobs (golf course, driving bus, and mowing lawns). The first two weekends of May, Josh was gone because he drove the bus for Ammon's high school golf District and State tournaments, and I decided to keep myself busy in his absence working on the list of projects while he was gone.
I put up the new window blinds that I'd ordered for our anniversary in the two living room windows. The previous blinds were the small cheap plastic ones, and one was completely broken. The large windows produce a lot of heat and glare when the evening sun shines through directly onto whoever sits on the couch, so new blinds were a necessity. I ordered thicker faux-wooden ones, and I can't believe the difference they've made! It's wonderful to have working blinds again, and they make the room look nicer, too!
The wall above the piano has bugged me for some time--there was a mish-mash of pictures on the wall that have been there since we moved in 5 years ago, and I'd become bored with it. I've been thinking for years about making some vinyl letters quoting my favorite scripture to place on the tall wall, but I still haven't done it yet. However, I did find some music pictures that go well with the colors in the living room, so I got them and hung them there instead. I like that it makes the wall space seem new!
The back exterior wall of the house has bugged me for years. It's so colorless and dreary, and I finally realized just this spring what to do to remedy the problem!
I got some metal stars at the new ShopKo, and screwed them in! They are perfect for the space, and I'm so happy with how it looks now!
Right underneath those stars is a flower box next to the stone path that Josh built. I created a border for that flower box using bricks last year, so I decided to use that same trim for the peonies that are next to the deck stairs. It wasn't a large area, so it only took me about an hour to create a straight edge, dig down enough to place the bricks, and level the bricks. I like the updated, cleaner look of the small flower bed now!
I hung a hammock for Josh on Father's Day last year in between the two apple trees in the back yard. It's been a great addition to the yard, but throughout the year, I've felt like the space needed another seat, too, that way we can both be lounging together in the same area. So, I purchased another hammock chair, and bought some rope at the hardware store, and hung it up myself. It's been my new favorite place to sit as of late!!
The fruit garden that's adjacent to the back yard has been in need of some TLC for a while. I trimmed all the raspberry stalks, trimmed the peach trees, trimmed the shade tree in the corner, and majorly weeded the strawberries. The deer have gotten into this garden for the past two summers, and I decided that if I was going to stay on top of the weeding of this patch, that I needed to do something about the falling temporary fence so that the deer wouldn't eat all the products of my hard work!
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Notice the green posts were leaning in and the netting is all droopy as a result.
There was no gate before, so I'd have to pull back part of the net to get in.
Also, the white cement block was used to put the sprinkler on for better water coverage. |
This is the project that I knew that I REALLY needed Josh's help with, because I'd never done any fencing on my own before. I went to the local ranch store and bought 7 posts, picked up an old gate from Josh's work, came home and started digging holes for the posts. I dug holes for 3 of the posts, then quit for the day. The next weekend, I bought hardware to attach the gate to the posts, and dug holes for 2 more of the posts. Thankfully, Josh had a small window of time to help me, and he used his dad's tractor with the post-pounder attachment to secure all of the posts in the ground (reinforcing the 5 I'd already set in, and putting in the last 2). I used the same mesh material that was previously there to hang around all the new posts until we can add poles to the posts in a future year. The next weekend, Josh helped me attach the metal gate to the wooden fence, and the fencing project was finally complete! It's been a huge improvement, and I'm so glad Josh could help me with this project!
On Mother's Day weekend, I purchased and planted flowers to place all around the front and back of the house. I decided to add taller, more bold colored plants in the two pots that are right by the front door, and I've been super pleased with the look! I can't believe I haven't thought to do this in previous years--I've always just put the same flowers in those pots as all the other pots.
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P.S. I got that new door welcome sign from D.I. this spring.
Josh hates it because it's so large, and it bangs when the door shuts, but I really love it! |
I planted white and hot pink petunias in the other pots along the front and back sides of the house.
Josh also got me some pale pink wave petunias that I planted in the corner of the back yard on the two big wooden stumps, and I like how they flow from the home-made planter pots.
There's something empowering about doing a project: from conceiving it, to working on it, and then seeing it's completion. Whenever I finish a project, and lovingly admire it afterwards, I think of the words that Elder Uchtdorf shared in his 2008 Women's LDS Conference address about the beauty of creating: "The desire to create is one of the deepest yearnings of the human soul. No matter our talents, education, backgrounds, or abilities, we each have an inherent wish to create something that did not exist before. Everyone can create. You don’t need money, position, or influence in order to create something of substance or beauty. Creation brings deep satisfaction and fulfillment. We develop ourselves and others when we take unorganized matter into our hands and mold it into something of beauty. Creation means bringing into existence something that did not exist before—colorful gardens, harmonious homes, family memories, flowing laughter."
